"It's an iconic piece," Peter Jaffe said of the indelible song popularized by Brubeck, who died Wednesday at age 91. "It effects all ranges of contemporary music. It transcends specific jazz or pop. It's iconic."

Here's the key: Jaffe, the Stockton Symphony conductor and avid Brubeck admirer, played the opening notes of Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony."

Instant recognition. Just like "Take Five," an influential and memorable song - just 2 minutes and 55 seconds long - that set musical and cultural precedent when it took over popular jazz in 1959.

"In four notes, you instantly know it," Jaffe said. "That's genius to be able to distill musical impact down to that."

"Take Five" first appeared on the Dave Brubeck Quartet's landmark "Time Out" album (in a 5-minute, 28-second version). It became a model with its inventive, exotic time signatures, all-original music and elegant cover artwork.

Buffeted by the early years of rock 'n' roll, the single version of "Take Five" didn't make it to the top 40 (No. 25) until 1961. Meanwhile, "Time Out" - influenced by music Brubeck had heard on trips to countries such as Turkey - became the first jazz album ever to sell 1 million copies.

Jaffe identifies the timeless tempos and sustaining structures of "Take Five" in lots of pop music - from the "Mission Impossible" theme to "The Incredibles" and, even, a song by Quicksilver Messenger Service, a 1960s San Francisco hippie band.

"He had a really fertile mind and imagination," said Jaffe, who collaborated with Brubeck on symphony projects. "He liked to absorb a lot of influences, turn them around 180 degrees and fuse them into his own style."

"Take Five," played in then-unconventional 5/4 time, is credited to San Francisco-born Paul Desmond (1924-77), the alto saxophonist whose mellifluous riff propels the tune. Royalties from the song have been donated to the American Red Cross since Desmond's death.

"I was around when Dave actually described its construction," said Jaffe, 56, demonstrating on piano. "The licks were invented by Desmond. Dave organized it. It was a little adventure. Dave's an extremely humble guy with a lot of humility. He's not going to take credit for using someone else's licks."

Jaffe was "busy soaking up everything" as a Berkeley teenager when he first heard "Take Five." Patrick Langham was 12.

"I was immediately drawn to the saxophone player," said Langham, 42, University of the Pacific's jazz director who plays saxophone. "That sweet sound. I was floored by the group. It was so cohesive and so unusual. I was used to 4/4 time. Not 4/3 or 5/4. I thought, 'Wow. Here's something new and different.' It opened a venue to sort of seeing things beyond what you're used to."